The Glow of Christmas

Tonight the lights.... burn sweetly!

Even though a few strands are testing our patience,

Our home for the most part is ready for Christmas!

A strand on the dormer window on the left is giving us a fit.

But....my den is finished, cleaned and decorated.

The kitchen is full of merriment!

The dining room is all a glow in splendor of silver and gold.

And the back porch is floating in a sea of light.

That's what happening at my house in the land of 

The Decorative Dreamer.

Your all invited back for a closer look at a few more rooms decorated and detailed later next week. Thanks for stopping by!

My Holiday Kitchen 2012

Hey!  Welcome back!  As I promised it's Christmas time in the kitchen today.  

Last year was the first year I went with a large tree in the kitchen.  I have to say I just love it!  The Candyland theme is back too.  Hey, when it works why change it right?  I am hoping to add a few more items from work to the tree this year because we actually had a whole Candyland theme in our Christmas merchandise this year.  I've got my eye on several ornaments but am waiting on just the right sale.  Waiting and hoping they will still be available and not sold already that is.  LOL!

My cute little elves are back.  They were purchased from Hobby Lobby last year and I have seen that they also have them again this year.  I used an inexpensive fleece throw purchased from Walmart for only $2.98 for my tree skirt.  I think it's a wonderful substitute don't you?

The tree topper that I used last year came back up again. I decided to move one of the elves up higher into the bow this time to give it a little more whimsy.

On the island I have brought out my Candyland Santa purchased from Kohls after Christmas last year.  He is surrounded by a few gingerbread men and my Christopher Radko Christmas tree cookie jar that I've had for quite a while now.  

Look closely at the chandelier.  Do you see my old elves hanging with the berries up there?  

I have had these guys ever since I was a child.  They are so fun and just make me smile every time I see them.  

Even my oven gets a little decorating too.  Hehe!

The bar got just a few tweaks since you've seen it recently.  I added holiday napkins and brought out Mr. Jingles.  He is actually a bottle topper purchased many years ago from a Christmas Around the World party.  Then a bowl full of peanuts and I was done!

The bakers rack was moved from the corner of the kitchen where the tree is to a spot over by the coat rack.  Since it's in a very prominent location it got a little Christmas makeover too.

However I just couldn't bring myself to totally convert it over to Christmas.  So.... I left a few things that were already on it and decorated around them.  In other words, the roosters stayed!  Cock-a-doodle-do!!!

I tried to go with a more country look here since the roosters stayed.  Luckily for me, I already had several Christmas items that lent them selves to this look.

I was pretty thrilled to see this was a perfect spot to add my dishes for Santa.  We have put this set out every year since my children my toddlers.  And yes, we have actually put out milk and cookies for Santa each year too.  You have to have proof of eaten cookies and milk that has been drunk for for inquisitive children you know.  Now days they get a kick out of eating the cookies themselves and leaving a few bites on the plate before going to bed.  LOL!   We have trained them well and I know they will make great Santa's one day.

Speaking of these days, this old Mr. and Mrs. Claus are some of my favorites, unfortunately they really do reflect how I feel lately.  Haha!

Well, that's a wrap!  

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my holiday kitchen.

I have quite a kooky schedule this week and I am so happy I am able to get several things done. I'm also very happy to be able to share it with you too.  A little bit here and little bit there and eventually you'll get there.  Now on to the dining room!

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you are having a great day too!

My Woodsy Christmas Den Decor

Hi All!  Long time no see huh?  I'm sure most of you don't need me to explain how hectic things are this time of year so I will skip all the chit chat and just show you a little of what I have been able to get decorated for the holidays so far.  Okay?

Okay!!! The den is done!  Whew!  It's pretty much the same as last years theme, only I added and omitted just a few things.

For example, I went with a natural looking topper this year by adding bunch's of willow to the bow and berry's.   I think I will eventually put my copper star trio back up too if I can do so without destroying what is already there.  LOL!

I actually left off several ornaments this year if you can believe that.  The newest two additions were the deco mesh which I cut in strips across and tied on in knots for a more rustic look.  Then, the addition that I like the most is the willow garland.  Why haven't I thought of this sooner?  I love it!

On the mantle it's very similar to last years set up again but with new garland.  I bought two on sale from Michael's this year.  One is strictly greenery with a snowy looking cedar and pine and the other has the berries and pine cones with greenery. I also added a few branches of willow here too.

   

My pine cone candles came out again.  Of course, I just had to add a little bling bling as well with the beaded candlesticks.  

Do you remember the reindeer I purchased last year from work?

I just love these guys!  They are why I have stayed with this very woodsy theme.

The lantern on the table moved across the room to new location for the holidays and received a woodsy look as well.

Hello Mr. Claus!

Can you tell I went a little crazy adding the willow everywhere?  I love it! 

I also love the view from my favorite chair where I use my laptop in the evenings or daytime depending on when I am home.  

Last but now least, the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, in hopes....

Speaking of hoping, I surely do hope you enjoyed this little peek at my holiday decor in the den again this year. 

If you liked that be sure and come back tomorrow okay because I'll be showing you the kitchen next. The holidays are my favorite time of the year for pulling out all the decorations.  It's when I have the most to share.  I've gotten so many ideas from most of you and am truly grateful for that.  Thanks so much!

And thank you so much for stopping by!

I really appreciate hearing from you.

Have a great day everyone!

Christmas Day Tablescapes

We had quite a busy Christmas this year hosting both my family on Christmas Eve and then my husbands family on Christmas Day.  It is a lot of work but, Oh, so wonderful getting together with family to celebrate!  

I only remembered to snap a few quick photos of the tables just seconds before the guests arrived on Christmas Day so there aren't many here to see but thought I'd share them with you anyway.

At the kitchen table I only needed to set the table for five this year.  My kitchen table has two large leaves that we insert during the holidays.  Usually we have to extend this table when my husbands family comes and even then still need a folding table in addition to the dining room table.  Not this year though, as a portion of the family did not make the trip up for the holidays.  So I only needed the kitchen table without sleeves and the dining room to accommodate everyone.  It was a wonderful afternoon but they were truly missed!

 I used my old Christmas china called Holiday Ribbon from Belks in the kitchen combined with my darker green glasses.  I think the green goblets are Libby.  The Christopher Radko cookie jar served as my centerpiece paired with candles and Santa salt and pepper shakers.

In the dining room I used the new plaid tablecloth that I purchased from last years after clearance sales at Walmart.

I kept the centerpieces simple in both of these rooms.  Since I had to move them in order to clean the linens after the first nights use and because I like to keep the table less cluttered when family is sitting around the table, I decided less is best.  

In my dining room I used the Butler's Pantry china combined with the Holiday Gatherings salad plates, both are from Lenox.  My lighter green goblets are from the Better Homes and Garden collection sold at Walmart.  My cloche filled with sparkly white, gold and silver balls served as our centerpiece.  Very simple and casual just the way we like it!  

I realized while setting these tablescapes this year how limited I was on holiday linens, specifically napkins.  Having to work first thing on Monday morning for our after Christmas sales at SteinMart has it's advantages!  I was able to snag a few bargains for myself to help resolve my limited amount of Christmas linens.  I'll be sharing a sneak peek of those with you soon.  But already, I am dreaming of next year's tablescapes!

I am joining BNOTP for Tablescape Thursday.  Please be sure and visit this link to check out many more beautiful settings. I bet there will be plenty to enjoy from the holidays!

Here's wishing you all many blessings for a Happy New Year!

Recycled Gift Tags

Thank You!  I really appreciate the support you ladies gave me by responding to my last post!  

  I feel like it's crunch time and I'm really struggling to get everything done by Christmas.  I typically don't get overly anxious about the house being a mess at times, but with the holidays coming up and no time to clean I just had to admit I am feeling quite stressed out this year.   Today,  on my only day off until Christmas eve, I focused on getting presents wrapped then tried to finish up my Christmas shopping.  

Luckily, the Mr. found some tape and I was all set until I realized I didn't have any gift tags.  I was about to go over the edge when I remembered I actually did have some gift tags.  In fact I had some of the most wonderful gift tags eva!  Do you see this wonderful box here?

It is a box that some of my previous Christmas cards came in one year.  I saved it after sending out my cards and it is now holding an assortment of gift tags that I made last year from Christmas cards I received.

It was such fun deciding which images to use and cutting them using my decorative scissors.  To see the original post I did last year on my old blog, "Sailing Simply" when I made these, click HERE.

I am so happy I remembered I made these, as I almost forgot.  I just love them!

As you can see, I got quite a bit of my presents wrapped today.  I know my store bought bows leave a lot to be desired but these handmade tags more then make up for the bows in my opinion. 

I thought you'd like to see a few close ups of how my tags look.

 Oops!  Looks like my son used one of my tags and attached it with the names showing front side up.  Men!

So what do you think?  Pretty cute idea and quite decorative too, huh?

It was so much fun to make these and even more fun to pull them out this year to use them.  I can't recommend recycling your old Christmas cards this way enough.  You really should consider it if you get lot's of cards in the mail.

It's such a great feeling!

I am joining BNOTP for Metamorphosis Monday.

Thanks so much for visiting me again!

Have a great day!